The Dillon tribune., 1887-04-22


by persistent appeals to some fayor;tn
saint. They even spent hours a1.,o1,r t,,e
crypts, where endless tol,1bs an;. n fnw
siota III the damp, bare wa)la made cycyv
thing look 80 weird and superrat,rnliv
solemn that, except in tho daytime. not
ever, tho hravcst Of the residents Of the
Haule VIE would venture c1.lo.,y them.
Ihc~ cHl!arcn, however, We're too i,lncccnt
to know fear And so they v.c..t a,or, to-
ect'!e;' han! ia hand throur, ,,n $50:
grew. "a IS: :.r Cr!..:..y' '...,,,""r
But o.:c H.; Claire died. Sic vss !.
blonde and Jacopo was dark. At first the
child Jacopo could not understand what
had become Of his beloved sister. Hc
saw her little body strewn with fresh cut
flowers aud tho chaplet OF snow white
flowers that surrounded her marble brow
where the yellow silk hair strayed down
freest. He touched her face and cried;
claire, my Claire, why do you not speak
to mey 1t is only me, little brother .Ja-
cobor' And when no answer came from
the little dead body, his parpxysms of
grief became SO violent that the good
hearted neighboys said he would surely
kill himself, and carried him :awey.
Ono day the now utterly forlorn clill
w;.9 walking, half sobbing, through a
narrV" old street. where queer gublctl
houses cast Fantastic shadows along the
almost forsakcn thoroughfurc, and no
sound disturbed the silence but the praise
singing cf Some pious sisters in one Of the
coilvchts That abound III the Hantc Vile,
when !. vicious young man, known e.,
''lH, S,auvayc," approached .]acopo and
la:tghcfl and i,,tul ct him for his weeping
fOy q r,:src ,,;rl.
''fOu ought to he g. girl Yourself #
you want * Aind Claire why TO you not go
down to the crypt Of the cathedral 1T mid
might, and then you will iind your sister,
TEo child looked up with his large, dark
eyes flashing with the ligi.t ct expectation.
"AEd shall truly find ma chcre Claire
thcrc?' .1ncopo asked.
"Of course, you will, Won little fool,''
said the savage, :s he ran off down one Of
the Ghostly streets Of old Boulc:;nc.
On that ss.ina night the fat ok: sacristan
OF tho cathedral WIS aroused from his
slulnbers by l:cariny shrill cries issuing
from somewhere IN the great et!ilicc. The
hour was midnight. Father Hildebrand
crossed himself, commended himself to the
protection Of the Holy Mother, and triply
armed in his faith, proceeded to search for
the cause Of the mysterious sounds. As
his football echoed and re-t.chOcd through
tho lonely aislcs his soul became troubled
with strange fears. Whist il it were
thieves breaking into the church to rob it
Of it's sacred treasures? What if-aud
tho thought made him sh,,d,lcr-it were
some manifestation from another worldY
But Father Hi,debrand crossed HIM
solf anew and went on with renewed
strength of purpose. At last he
reached the end of the great cloister
and felt sure he heard the sobs and cries
Of a child. Advancing cautiously, shad-
ing his candle carefully with one hand, he
swept past the different tonlbs. Then he
saw Il sight w!.ici. arrested his further
progress for !. INFINITE. In front Of q great
ancestral family tomb stood weeping
child with it's hands clnsped and held up
toward the ,Enft Of moonlight which
pierced through one of the narrow Sits il.
the thick stone wall and shone full upoi,
the boys fuco as he walled Ma Claire.
lua Claire. INA sc,ur, why ,lo yuu not come
to INC when call. 1t l.; only Elc, little
.Jacoro. Oh. tlo not hc unknd to your pet
it frere:'' The child ut last sank upon his
knees, swaycd for i. few seconds, and then
fell heavily upon the damp stone squares.
When Father Hillebrand reached the boy
for, OF course, it was poor little Jacopo
-: shnft Of moonlight was ginning on his
face like stream Of glory sent
from heaven. No one need 10 tell the rest.
Jacopo had only faintcti, but it was many
months before he arose from q fever, dur
ing which his black clusters CT hair had
turned pure white. Ic recovered, but
never could say IL word about tho events
OF that terrible night. All he could cry
was, "Cla!rc! liza Claire!'' Father Hide
~ >..f hn <,l,S1.1 Nnt
only had .Jac",,o's hair turned white, but
his quiet. steady blue eyes gl;s.cned with
IL light unknown to sunlight; it wns the
light that never shonc ON land or sea.
he is NOW the darling of the poor oi
DoliO.,ne, their mascot, their whatever
you please to call it. l3ut Father Hide
brand declares that OF that shaft Of moon.
light which swept down upon II" praying
boy he perceived in ecstasy tho form OF
his bc!o,cd Claire. ".And why HOi?' ad.
tled my fyie.,u; dec: not Claire mean thl
moonlight, end n,ig!.. not The straight
shafts; Of moonlight be the celestial
vehicle OF !. vision TO the hcy:'
THAT finished my friend; story OF
Jaco;,o.
III, boy witt, HE s,,inrnAturAlIy wistful
eyes AID tho anow set hair Is dead
Jacopo died, viii, his hGn..s liked over his
breast in !. pio''s position, mrrinuring
':Clnirv, rla Claire, aln coming t" join
thcc in thy Fairgrounds. Why dii you
leave me 80 .:,a,vly TO Ike tn" child Of The
new ycar--t I'll, sad f!ls "u jour de l'an'
And Father Hilioi,ran;l, p'x,d o:u!. is III
consolahln. Death, he declares. while liz
touches hi; brc;s: and forehead and makes
the sign CT the ''s,rta croix,,' has Tor hin
no further tcrrors. Fortification for tle
ctcrlities hc had found in little Jncopo.-
! Malcolm Mcpherson in Del, :ot Free
! Press.